Welcome Home
by alocasiareversa
Summary: Soira welcomes home her husband Shino after a three week long mission, and then they go take a nap. Add some fluff and that's all. ShinoxOC


Soira goes about the morning routine, even when Shino is gone on a mission. Pour a spoonful of sugar into the empty mug, add a splash of milk, and patiently pour hot water into the filter filled with coffee grounds. Give it a quick stir and then head to the deck to enjoy the early morning. That has been her morning alone for nearly three weeks now and while she has heard nothing from him or officials from the village, she cannot help but let a twinge of worry infiltrate her thoughts. She has to shake it off regularly, reminding herself that no news is good news.

Sliding the screen door open slowly, she lets the dog out first before following behind, keeping an eye on the garden spider that is perched just to the left. Soira isn't afraid of insects, but spiders were certainly the lowest on her list of favorite-to-least-favorite insects.

Gently she sighed, placing her mug on the wooden table and grabbed the small journal - a gift from Shino for their first anniversary - and opened it to where she left off yesterday morning. She gazed out into the yard, watching Kouta trot around before making his way back over to her and settling in next to her for the regular morning routine.

She gave him a quick scratch on the head, a smile playing on her lips. Then she uncapped her pen and got to writing.

_Mornings are our favorite. Peaceful, quiet, together. All the things that Shino and I have enjoyed since we first met - in fact, its how we began hanging out. We met while at the lake nearby his clan's compound and we just kept seeing each other minding our business in the afternoons and eventually we began talking. Nothing showy, and we liked it that way._

_Missions where he is gone for weeks are hard on me. I don't work anymore - not that I'm complaining, but not having chunks of time to focus on other things can really make my mind wander sometimes. I don't voice it but I cannot help but feel scared, especially when he comes home with new injuries or a depletion of his hive. But this is the life that I have chosen - happily, and it is something that I deal with to be with him._

_He's expressed the desire to become a teacher after he has accomplished what he wishes as a ninja. Missions are slower these days. He doesn't complain about it, quite the opposite in fact, but he wants to do more for the village than what he can accomplish as an active ninja. He's been toying with the idea of teaching for a couple of years now and I think he is getting close to the point of taking a step towards that direction. I will support him in whatever endeavor he chooses, just as he does with me._

She sighed, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.

_I love living here. The compound sits on a large plot of land and houses our home that Shino and I have made our own, as well as his parent's and is close to the rest of his clan's residences as well. Hearing the crickets chirping and the buzz of the beetles makes me feel at home._

The smell of the coffee filled my nostrils. She took a deep swig, savoring the taste of fresh coffee. Placing the mug back down on the table, she froze. Kouta stood abruptly, facing toward the screen door. He didn't snarl so she didn't become alarmed immediately. It may just be Shino's mother coming over to say hello and share breakfast together. His fluffy tail began to wag quickly and she took the moment to turn and look behind her, squinting into the screen to see what Kouta can.

A very covered figure appears through the screen and it opened slowly. She stood quickly, a shocked look on her face.

"Shino!" she said excitedly, wrapping her arms around him as he does the same for her. She tugged his hood down and tangle a hand into his hair. Pulling back just a little, she beamed up at him. "Hi!" She kissed him quickly, cupping his face. "I thought you wouldn't be home for another week?"

He nodded slowly, a small smile gracing his face. "We attained all of the information we needed so we got the OK to head home. We stayed at an inn a couple hours away last night before heading out before dawn this morning." He dipped his head down, catching her lips once more. "I missed you," he murmured, sliding an arm around her waist to bring her body closer to his.

She nearly groaned as they broke apart. "Get settled back in and I'll make you a cup of coffee?" she asked, smiling brightly up at him. Her thumb grazed his cheek, feeling some stubble for a few days of not shaving. She leaned up on her tippy-toes to give him one last quick peck, saying, "I missed you, Shino. Welcome home."

Shino trailed behind his wife as she seemed to dance through the door and into the kitchen. Leaning forward against the island for a moment, he smiled softly at her. He took his glasses off and left them on the counter, slinking off into the bedroom to take a quick shower and change into my homey clothes.

Soira quickly got to work on his coffee, reusing the grounds from her first cup. He preferred a less strong brew compared to her, so it always worked out well. She glanced behind her for a moment, hearing the water start in the bathroom. He has always been one to take a quick shower. Too hot of water would mess with the hive in his body and the temperature that they prefer he doesn't enjoy the shower, so he has always sped through his routine.

It was no surprise that Soira had barely finished filling the mug when Shino walked out with just a towel around his waist and brushed back wet hair. Bright amber eyes met her green ones and she felt her breath catch in her throat. A strong hand landed on her lower back as he pressed his lips to her temple

"Thank you, ladybug."

She nodded, giving him a soft smile. "I'll be outside when you're dressed."

He retreated back to the bedroom once more, leaving the door cracked open just a bit. She lifted the mug and returned outside, placing it near her own. She sat back down, scratching Kouta's head as she gazed at her journal. She couldn't find it in herself to continue now that she was in a completely different head space.

The sun finally began peering over the tops of the tress. She stole a sip from Shino's coffee, pulling a face from the bitterness from the lack of sweetener, but smile to herself regardless. The screen door slid open behind her and Kouta stood again, trotting out into the yard to sniff the flowers and scare some bugs going about their day. Shino nudged his chair a bit closer to Soira's, making her smile up at him. He placed his book near her journal as he sat down.

His eyes shone in the morning light. "Did your mission go well?"

"Yes. Better than my father and I expected it to go." He reached an arm out to lay his hand on her thigh, palm up, wanting to hold hands. She happily obliged. He sighed contentedly, a small smile gracing his lips.

They stayed like this for minutes, just enjoying their time together for the first time in weeks. Shino leaned his head back against the chair, angling it towards his wife.

"I just want to take a nap," he admitted, earning a laugh from Soira. She squeezed his hand as he smiled at her.

"Why don't we finish our coffee and then we can go take a nap before the coffee kicks in?" He was silent for a moment before nodding once, a sleepy smile getting shared between them.

Neither rushed to finish their coffee, though Shino looked like he was ready to pass out. Together they slunk back into their home with their empty mugs, Shino taking Soira's so she could head to the bedroom before him. He followed moments later as they slid under the covers of their respective sides.

Soira wrapped a leg over his as she laid her head on his strong chest, hearing the steady heartbeat in her ear. His arm wrapped around her shoulders as he gave her head a quick kiss.

"I love you," he whispered into her hair, squeezing her body into his more.

"I love you, too," she whispered back, snaking a hand under his shirt to rest on his stomach. She fell asleep to the feeling of his fingers brushing up and down her arm lazily, which quickly collapsed to the bed just moments later as Shino succumbed to sleep as well.

* * *

**NOTES**

I may or may not have a second, naughty part to this that currently needs revising. I may also be writing their entire story on how they get to this point ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Please let me know what you think of the writing style! I know that nothing truly happens but I'm trying a slightly different writing style to what I generally write in because I feel like something involving Shino should be a little more prose-heavy and written more flow-y, if that makes sense.

Thank you for reading!


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